2020 Summer Reading Assignment - The American ...

The American Baccalaureate School
                              English Department - Middle School

        2020 Summer Reading Assignment
This year’s summer reading assignment will be due in the ELA class on the first day of the
 2020-2021 school year, September 7th. On the second day of the year, September 8th,
     students will have an assessment over the book counted as a Quiz grade in ELA.
              Specific details of the assignment and expectations are below.

‫ﻣﺷروع اﻟﻘراءة ﻟﺻﯾف ھذا اﻟﻌﺎم ﺳﯾﻛون ﻓﻰ ﻣﺎدة اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﻧﺟﻠﯾزﯾﺔ وﻋﻠﯾﮫ ﺳﯾﻛون ﯾوم اﻟﺗﺳﻠﯾم إﻟﻰ اﻟﻣدرس ھو اﻟﯾوم اﻷول ﻣن اﻟﻌﺎم اﻟدراﺳﻲ‬
‫ ﺳﺑﺗﻣﺑر ﺳﯾﻛون ھﻧﺎك اﻣﺗﺣﺎن ﻟﻠطﻼب ﻓﯾﻣﺎ ﻗرأوه وﺗﺣﺳب درﺟﺗﮫ‬8 ‫ ﻓﻲ اﻟﯾوم اﻟﺛﺎﻧﻲ اﻟﻣواﻓق‬. ‫ ﺳﺑﺗﻣﺑر‬7 ‫ اﻟﻣواﻓق‬2021 – 2020 ‫اﻟﻘﺎدم‬
                                            . ‫ ﻛل اﻹرﺷﺎدات واﻟﺗﻌﻠﯾﻣﺎت اﻟﺧﺎﺻﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻣوﺿوع ﺗﺟدھﺎ ﻓﻰ اﻟﺗﻘرﯾر أدﻧﺎه‬. ‫ﻛدرﺟﺔ اﻣﺗﺣﺎن‬

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE
Summer reading is an important habit for students to form from an early age that
maintains and improves a student’s reading ability. Studies show that students who
do not engage in thoughtful summer reading can lose up to two months of reading
proficiency; meanwhile, those students who do engage in this practice can make
great strides in their skills. As it is expected that students enter the school year with a
reading ability at or above their grade level, summer reading is imperative.

This summer, students will be reading ONE book from a pre-selected list for their grade
level and will be completing a more creative, but also critical thinking, assignment
due on the first day of the school year in their ELA class. On the second day of school,
they will complete an assessment about the book in their ELA class.

This year, nothing needs to be submitted or completed online. We have streamlined
the process and expectations to make this endeavor simpler and as stress-free as
possible. While the assignment can’t be run through our plagiarism software as it is
done by hand, we will still monitor for unoriginal work. The specific details of the
assignment are below.

Quote Analysis Booklet (Project Grade)
Due on the first day of school, September 07, to the student’s ELA teacher.

Students will design a quote analysis booklet that showcases a complete and
comprehensive understanding of the book they’ve read over the summer. This should
be done entirely by the student and NOT by any outside entity. The quotes selected
should span the entirety of the novel.

The booklet needs to include at least TWELVE (12) quotes from the book. For each
quote, you must fill out a page with an MLA-cited quotation, an analysis of the quote,
and a personal reflection on the quote. You should also include an illustration for AT
LEAST HALF of these quote pages.

This booklet should be TYPED and then PRINTED for submission.

Here are the page requirements spelled out in more detail:

   1. A quote from text, cited in proper MLA formatting (12 different ones)
   2. An analysis of the quote, which includes:
         -   what it means (2-3 sentences)
         -   who said it and the context (situation) in which it was said (1-2
             sentences)
   3. Your own personal reaction to the quote (4-5 sentences minimum)
         -   How can you relate its meaning to your life?
         -   Is there something important about life or the world being said?
   4. An illustration or image for AT LEAST 6 of the 12 total quote pages
         -   can be created by hand or digitally, but MUST BE ORIGINAL
         -   no images from the internet are allowed to be used

Novel Assessment (Quiz Grade)
Will be done on the second day of school, September 8, in ELA classes.

Students will display their understanding of the summer novel through an assessment
on the book. This assessment will be fairly open-ended and will include more general
questions about the novel. The assessment will be writing-heavy, so students should
be prepared to write.

We suggest students focus on the following points in their reading of the novel over
the summer:

   -   the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) of the story and characteristics of each
   -   other supporting characters and their characteristics
   -   major conflicts - external and/or internal
   -   lessons or themes included in the book by the author
   -   overall plot structure of the story - exposition, conflict, rising action, climax,
       falling action, resolution
   -   genre of the book and how that contributes to the story as a whole
   -   setting(s) and the role it plays in plot development

In order to be properly prepared for this assessment, we strongly suggest that students
keep a reading journal. This will ultimately help with the retention of key points and
details from the book. While it WILL NOT be allowed during the assessment, it will help
in studying efforts.

BREAKDOWN OF DUE DATES
Quote Booklet due to ELA teacher- first day of school year, Monday, September 07,
2020 (Q1 PROJECT grade in ELA)

Summer Reading Book Assessment in ELA class - Tuesday, September 08, 2020 (Q1
QUIZ grade in ELA)

  ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE. NO EXCEPTIONS!

NOTE ON PLAGIARISM
Academic Honesty Policy

We trust that students will turn in work that is entirely original and their own. Keep in
mind that all students at ABS are expected to adhere to the standards outlined in the
ABS Academic Honesty Policy. It is expected that students complete entirely original
work for this assignment - any student in violation of this policy will receive an
automatic 0 and further consequences as outlined the ABS Academic Honesty
Policy. This policy has been included at the end of this document for your reference.

REQUIRED BOOK LIST
You are responsible for finding, and reading, ONE of the assigned books for the grade
you will be entering in the 2020-2021 school year. You may read an electronic copy
or physical copy of the book. Students should be prepared to bring this book into
class if requested by the teacher.

Rising Grade 6
    - Option 1: Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret - Lexile 750
    - Option 2: Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman - Lexile 680

Rising Grade 7
    - Option 1: Masterminds by Gordon Korman - Lexile 730
    - Option 2: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin - Lexile 810

Rising Grade 8
    - Option 1: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (sequel to The Giver) - Lexile 680
    - Option 2: Holes by Louis Sachar - Lexile 660

The American Baccalaureate School
                  Academic Honesty Policy
Statement of Purpose

At ABS, we expect our students to uphold the highest standard of ethical and honest
conduct. We believe this is important in both academic and personal pursuits, in and out
of the school setting. Academic dishonesty is an incredibly divisive and destructive force
within a school community, where each individual act of plagiarism or cheating affects
all of ABS. It has the potential to unfairly reward those students who cheat, and
discourage the work of honest students. ABS has a zero tolerance policy for academic
dishonesty exhibited in various forms described below.

We take these offences quite seriously and are committed to making sure that all
students, and parents, understand and acknowledge the importance of maintaining the
highest level of academic integrity at ABS.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, or thoughts of another person/group
and presenting them as your own, with or without their consent, neglecting proper
acknowledgement (University of Oxford).

Examples of academic dishonesty may include, but are not limited to:
   - Presenting the ideas of others (by paraphrasing or direct quotation) without
     credit to the source. This applies equally to a single phrase or whole essay.
   - Failing to provide proper citations for material obtained from sources.
   - Engaging in copying, or allowing someone to copy/submit one’s work as
     his/her own.
   - Knowingly participating in a group project that uses plagiarized material.
   - Sharing questions/answers with students who have yet to take an assessment.

-   Paying a company to create a model or project on behalf of the student.

Turnitin.com

Teachers may utilize the website Turnitin.com for students to submit any typed
assignments. This program scans all submitted documents and provides a
“percentage” that indicates how much of the paper has been plagiarized. While 0%
is the ideal, the program does occasionally flag aspects that we would not consider
plagiarism (page numbers, last names, etc.). Therefore, teachers will always review
the results provided by Turnitin.com before making a final decision about the
academic honesty of a student’s submission. Therefore, for most assignments, a 10-
12% threshold will be acceptable.

Consequences

Cheating/Plagiarism on an assignment:
   The following applies to any type of assignment, and applies across classes.

First Offense:
     - The student will receive a ZERO on the assignment.
     - The teacher will confer with the student and notify the parents/guardians of
        the incident and its consequences.
     - A referral note will be placed in the student’s permanent file.

Second Offense:
   - As listed in the first instance PLUS one or more of the following:
         - A conference will be scheduled with administrator, parent/guardian,
             teacher, and student.
         - Student will be placed on Academic Probation.
         - Elevated consequence from prior offense given by the Dean.

Subsequent Offense(s):
   - As listed in the first instance and one or more of the following:
         - The student will be suspended from 1 to 5 days.
         - The Principal will request that the student be placed on DNR or DL
             depending upon the circumstances.
         - Case submitted to management for escalated academic
             consequence.